12-year-old rape survivor gives birth, refuses to take baby home

LUCKNOW: A rape survivor, 12, gave birth to a boy at a hospital in the state capital on Saturday evening. She was raped earlier this year and the accused, a neighbour, is behind bars.
Unable to erase the horrifying memories of the traumatic incident, the rape survivor was unwilling to take the baby home. While feeding the baby on the hospital bed on Sunday, the survivor said the child would only serve to remind her of the gruesome incident and trauma she had undergone.
The girl will be discharged from the hospital on Monday.
Her family members said that the accused, a 25-year-old neighbour, who lived in a rented room in Suggamau area of Indiranagar, raped her when she returned after filling water from a hand pump. The accused is behind bars and his trial is yet to begin.
Don’t want to keep baby, says survivor
On Sunday, Rani (name changed) lay sleeping on one side of the bed in the emergency women’s wing of the hospital, with her back towards the baby.
“I don’t want the boy. I don’t want to keep him,” muttered Rani.
The survivor’s mother said, “We are poor people. We cannot keep the baby as it is difficult to face the social stigma.” “The boy is healthy, weighs 2.3 kg and was born through normal delivery at 6.58pm on Saturday. Like all patients, the girl is under 48-hour hospital observation and will be discharged on Monday,” said medical superintendent Dr Sarita Saxena.
Rani was raped earlier in the year but her family came to know about it in August when her advanced stage of pregnancy was detected. Until then, the girl had not informed her family due to threats from the accused. An FIR was lodged at the Indiranagar police station but abortion was no longer an option.
“The accused was arrested on August 26 and charges were framed against him on October 5 for rape, causing hurt and under Prevention of Children Against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO),” said Mukul Verma, station officer of Indiranagar police station. Rani’s father is no more while her mother is an illiterate. The only earning member in the family is the eldest brother who works as a labourer.